DEFINING PROJECT SUCCESS: IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Was your last project a success?

The answer may very well depend upon who is asked, and their
particular definition of success. As a project manager, (or someone
who finds themselves managing projects), you may expect that if
you complete a project on time, within budget, and your end-result
works, that you will have achieved success. This seems logical, but
it not always true.

Consider this example...

A project is completed on time, the end-result works, and the

budget was met, but the project team had to work extra hours and
every weekend for two months because the project schedule was
overly aggressive and the project plan did not properly account for
problems.

Was this project a success...

The answer is likely something along the lines of "it depends", "yes,
but...." or "not in every respect". In any event, it would be difficult
to view this project as a success on all counts. As this example
shows, project success cannot be viewed from a single perspective.
Your end-users may not even know or care that your project was not
planned well as long as the end-result works. But to your burnt-out
project team, that same project could hardly be called a success.
And, this is not only an important issue of the moment. If the project
team is burnt-out, the next project manager who must rely on that
same team for future successes may have real cause for concern. As
this one example illustrates, your ability to consider a project a
"success" will go well beyond immediate budgets and deliverables.

Considering that success can be so subjective, it is wise to not limit

yourself to a single definition. Instead, the creative, but realistic
project manager should promote a different concept.... that projects
can be successful on many levels, and that a failure on any
particular level is not necessarily determinative of overall success,
or failure.

Working towards project success...

The true definition of project success arises from multiple

perspectives, and will vary from project to project. Any examination
of success should not begin at the end of a project, but at the very
start. Success begins with consensus amongst all project
participants and stakeholders... what will it take to make this project
a success?
The answer to this question will form your success criteria - the
agreement between all parties as to the meaning of "success" for a
given project. Success criteria should be defined from the start as a
basis for project initiation - along with goals, deliverables, scope and
requirements. It is an important project element.... you need to
know what you are working towards, and you also need to know that
everyone is on the same page "success-wise".

Any useful definition of success criteria should account for

variations in perspectives and dimensions. To that end, success
criteria can be viewed from three distinct points of view....

• Deliverables Success - relating to the end-result of the project (products or

services), including issues of quality and fulfillment of requirements.

• Procedural Success - relating to the way the project was organized, structured
and managed, including timeliness, cost control, effectiveness of the project
plan, and adherence to established project management standards.

• Staff Success - relating to the "human resource" elements of the project,

including resource utilization, staff perspectives, interactions and team
relationships.

These three categories set the stage for the definition of workable
success criteria, but underlying specifics will probably vary
according to the project at hand. For that reason, success criteria
should be created for each and every project encountered, and
should be tailored to suit individual project circumstances. Above
all, success criteria should be simple and attainable. And, once
defined, they should also be ranked according to priority.
The issue of priority may seem a bit illogical, after all, your overall
goal should be for success on all levels, right... We can all agree on
that goal, but unfortunately, even the best of intentions run up
against unexpected problems now and then. If hard choices have to
made in the midst of a project, success criteria priorities can provide
a basis for sacrifice... For example, if your project participants have
established the quality of deliverables as a priority over timeliness,
you will have some clue as to how to react should project delays
occur.
The following list provides an illustration of the use of multi-
dimensional project success criteria....

o Project deliverables are to be delivered according to requirements and

specifications. (Deliverables Success)

o The project is to be completed with no more than 10% schedule overruns.

(Procedural Success)
 o Project expenditures are not to exceed the estimated budget by more than
10%. (Procedural Success)

o The project management process is to be followed without exception unless

authorized by the Project Director. (Procedural Success)

o Project change requests shall not be allowed to interfere with project schedule
or budget. (Procedural Success)

o Project staff resources are to be utilized effectively, and will acquire new skills
as a result of the project. (Staff Success)

o Project overtime shall not exceed estimations by more than 5%. (Staff
Success)

Evaluating Success...
At the end of a project, success criteria can be used as basis for
evaluating project performance. And, if you looked at success from
a single perspective, you would miss important indicators for future
performance improvements. As we have previously discussed,
projects can fail or succeed on any number of elements, and can
still be considered a success if overall priorities and objectives are
met. But that does not mean that there is no further room for
improvement. As you go through your post-project review, you can
use your success criteria as a benchmark for evaluating overall
project performance....

• Were success criteria met?

• If the answer is yes, how was that accomplished, and how can we ensure that
our successes are repeated?
• If the answer is no, why did we fail to meet our success criteria?
• Which criteria did we fail to meet?
• Why did each failure occur?
• Were the success criteria realistic and attainable?
• What improvements can be made in the future to the way we plan
deliverables, execute projects or utilize project staff resources?

Success is the obvious goal of every project.... but it should not be

an unspoken goal, nor should it be taken for granted. If you take the
time to consider success from multiple perspectives, you will make
future project successes more likely and easier to attain.